Dual-stage disk drive head suspension assemblies including one or more high resolution microactuators are known. Such head suspensions typically include a base plate for attaching the head suspension to a disk drive actuator, a mounting region attached to the base plate, a load beam attached or integral to the mounting region, and a flexure supported by the load beam for mounting a magnetic read/write head slider. The one or more microactuators are incorporated to accurately and quickly position the head slider over the desired track on the magnetic disk. The microactuators may typically be mounted on the base plate, the mounting region, the load beam, or the flexure.
In some cases, it may be sufficient, and indeed desirable, to utilize a single microactuator offset from the longitudinal centerline of the head suspension. While desirable from the standpoint of minimizing the number of microactuators, use of a single microactuator can create asymmetries about the longitudinal centerline of the suspension, which can in turn have undesirable effects. Even where multiple microactuators are utilized, it may be desirable to balance torsion modes and minimize the amount of resonance noise caused by incorporation of the microactuators.
There is thus a continuing need for improved microactuated head suspensions that can be efficiently and economically manufactured.